Adding to its line of professional displays, NEC is bringing the LCD8205 to 2008 Digital Signage Expo East. We've seen bigger in the consumer space, but when you've just got to have 4x4 tile support for a max 328-inch (diagonal) display, refreshingly realistic 5,000:1 claimed contrast ratio and 1920x1080 resolution, there's not much better. At $54,999 each, it's unlikely we'll find one under the tree when it releases in December but catching a peek (and fogging up a display window or two) is slightly more attainable goal.

[Via CE Pro]

Utilizing big honkin' displays for advertising purposes is nothing new, but East Japan Railway Company (JR East) and East Japan Marketing & Communications have decided to try "digital posters" out for reference. In short, ten 65-inch Sharp PN655R LCDs have been installed within "the internal concourse on the first floor of Tokyo Station's Yaesu South Entrance," and folks who stroll by can get a glimpse of whatever (the image changes each minute) in stunning 1080p. The goal here, as you might imagine, is to "evaluate the advertising effects of still image ad posters using large LCD panels displayed in a relatively busy gateway." If you're anxious to lay your eyes on the installation, you'd better hurry, as there's no guarantee that they'll remain after September. At least the video posted after the jump is forever.

Not content with just rolling a few truckload of new projectors out at InfoComm, Sony has also decided to introduce a pair of LCDs aimed at the commercial market. The 42-inch FWD-S42H1 and 47-inch FWD-S47H1 both sport 1,920 x 1,080 resolutions and come ready to accept the outfit's VSP-NS7 HD player on the rear. As expected with digital signage displays, these too can be managed remotely, used horizontally or vertically and feature a trio of screen saver modes. As for inputs, you'll find DVI, VGA, S-Video and composite, with optional adapters for HDMI / HD-SDI / etc. Both sets should hit dealers in October for a currently undisclosed amount.

Here comes yet another release from InfoComm about a professional LCD -- Samsung's new CX Series, integrated digital tuner, HDMI ports and, uh, a PC? Humorously enough, Sammy's introduction of the 400CX, 400CXn and 460CX focuses more on how they're perfect for commercial applications than keying in on the fact that this thing has a full-fledged PC inside of it. The so-called "integrated network PC" is there to facilitate "easy content management," and just like other digital signage displays, this one is just fine being tilted horizontally or vertically. As for the 400CX and 400CXn, you'll find a 1,366 x 768 resolution; the 460CX gets a Full HD 1,920 x 1,080 panel. Each unit also possesses built-in 10-watt speakers, advanced cooling technologies and a three-year warranty. From what we can glean, we highly doubt you'll find a bona fide HTPC inside here, but those with enough patience may find a satisfactory alternative to the Lumenlab Q42.

ViewSonic's first mention from InfoComm was less than enthralling, but it's second attempt at making waves today is actually fairly decent. Marketed as an all-in-one digital signage solution for small businesses, the DSM3210 includes a 32-inch HDTV (complete with an HD tuner and HDMI / VGA inputs) along with authoring, packaging and presentation software to "create a complete digital signage and multimedia visual entertainment experience." Of note, the software bundled in is designed for Windows, so OS X / Linux users look to be clean out of luck. Reportedly, the kit will be available in July for just $999, but there's a good chance you'll have to wait until then to see what everything looks like.

Never mind those guys cranking out just one or two new gizmos at InfoComm -- Sharp's busting out the big guns. The company is using the stage in Vegas to introduce a swarm of new gear including the XG-P560W 3-chip DLP WXGA projector, XG-C455W / PG-C355W 3LCD WXGA PJs, XG-P610X XGA unit and four new BrilliantColor DLP beamers (PG-F317X, PG-F312X, PG-F262X and PG-F212X). For those unfazed, it's also showcasing 46- (TL-M4600) and 52-inch (TL-M5200) professional LCD monitors meant for digital signage applications. As you can probably glean, there's way too much data on the whole lot to cover in this space, so we'll kindly direct you to the read link if you're hungry for more.

It's no nightmare -- 3D is officially in style. Or it's succeeding in fooling us, one or the other. Further proof that taking things to the third-dimension is all the rage has arrived courtesy of Philips, who has announced its intentions to reveal a 1080p 52-inch 3D display at InfoComm later this month. The unit will utilize the same WOWvx technology showcased a year prior in its 20-inch display, and will feature 700 cd/m2 brightness, a 2,000:1 contrast ratio and an 8-millisecond response time. The auto-stereoscopic display should be "commercially available from Q4 2008 onwards," but we haven't a clue how costly it'll be when it eventually lands.

[Via SlashGear]

You've got to have some serious firepower to attract eyes in Las Vegas -- after all, there's already enough neon in place to keep the average tourist distracted for hours. That being said, Samsung thinks it has what it takes, as it's teaming up with Outdoor Promotions in order to install eighteen 70-inch 1080p LCD panels "on prominent bus shelters spanning the Vegas strip from the Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino on the south side to the Rivera Hotel and Casino at the north end." The units will all be sunlight-readable and boast 2,000 nits of brightness along with localized audio. We're told that advertisements put up on the beastly sets will shuffle every 7.5- to 15-seconds in a continuous loop, and while the initial 18 are slated to go up in October, another 20 are planned for early 2009 (pre-CES, pretty please?)

[Image courtesy of IntelligentEconomy]

Just like a George Orwell flick gone awry, OMDM's movable E-K50 II LED display is downright frightening. The gargantuan display is basically one with a car, and it comes complete with built-in speakers to really get the message across. We can hear it now: "Please deposit your mobile communication devices here, telepathy is the new unlimited plan." Yikes.

Surely you remember Shinoda Plasma and its obscenely large PTA display, right? Unfortunately, this one's no 142-incher, but 125-inches of curvaceous screen real estate still isn't anything to sneeze at -- especially when we're talking about an actual prototype. The 3- x 1-meter display consists of three PTA (plasma tube array) modules connected together, and it features a rather uninspiring 960 x 360 resolution but weighs just 7.9-pounds. The actual "display part" measures just one-millimeter thick, and while this unit is likely to make a veiled appearance at InfoComm next month, a mass produced version will reportedly be produced in conjunction with Hibino. Honest opinion? We're still feelin' the resolution of Alienware's curved monster, but digital signage fans should certainly dig where this one is headed.

[Via Pink Tentacle]

Interestingly enough, the last time we heard the phrase "High Bright," Runco was showcasing a prototype set meant to work and play in the great outdoors. Now, however, Samsung's looking to one-up that endeavor by actually shipping a High Bright DID panel later this month. The 46-inch unit is said to posses 1,500 nits of brightness, a contrast ratio of 3,000:1, 16.7 million colors, 178-degree viewing angles and a screen resolution of 1,366 x 768 pixels. Sammy claims that it's around three times brighter than a typical LCD TV, and aside from remaining visible outside (you know, for pool parties and digital signage applications), it was designed to be tiled together to create "video walls." No word on what sets these panels will find their way into, but we wouldn't count on 'em coming cheap.

[Via SlashGear]

It's been a tick since we've heard a noticeable peep from Avocent, but the firm has recently unveiled the true successor to its Emerge MPX1000. The aptly-named MPX1500 is still a high-definition multipoint extender at its core, but rather than relying on swappable output modules, this unit packs a single DVI-D output and uses adapters to output HDMI, component, S-Video, VGA and composite. Additionally, this newer iteration comes in a much smaller enclosure and offers VGA resolutions up to 1,360 x 768 (while HDMI / DVI still goes to 1080i). Reportedly, users can still expect to see signals transmitted sans wires up to 150 feet through walls, and if interested, can pick one up as we speak for $995.

NEC continues to roll out 1080p LCDs aimed at commercial apps and this is its latest, the MultiSync LCD5220. Claiming to be the first professional grade 52-inch display, its for when the 65-inch LCD6520 is too big, and the 4620 just isn't big enough. Equipped with a 2,000:1 contrast ratio, its thin bezel, Digital Signage Technology Suite and TileMatrix technology make it perfect for a video wall of up to 25 displays, measuring 20 feet diagonally. NEC's been a leader in the digital signage market and with this panel its aiming to stay there when this panel ships in April for $8,149. While we keep an eye out for more news from the 2008 Digital Signage Expo, check out a couple more pics after the break and we're sure the purchase order will write itself.

There's displays made for digital signage, and then there's Samsung's SyncMaster 820DXn. Put simply, there's no commercial screen we'd rather have sitting in our living room, and while we doubt many would go for it, the specs here are pretty impressive. Outside of the expansive 82-inch 1,920 x 1,080 resolution S-PVA panel, you'll find 178-degree viewing angles, a 5,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio, "ultra-high" brightness levels, eight-millisecond response time and the firm's own DNIe PRO image enhancement technology. It also includes built-in fans for extended usage along with an integrated PC consisting of an 1.8GHz Athlon64 X2 3400+ CPU, 4GB of flash storage, 512MB of DDR2 RAM, an ATI graphics set and Windows XP to boot. Granted, this thing was designed with luring customers in mind, and given the lofty $76,999 price tag, we don't expect it to do much else.

As if the 40- and 46-inch 20 series LCDs weren't impressive enough, NEC is expanding its lineup of commercial grade sets by unveiling a 65-inch behemoth. The MultiSync LCD6520 unsurprisingly checks in as the outfit's largest LCD to date, and it's also embedded with NEC's own Digital Signage Technology Suite (DSTS), which "includes more than 20 features and functions developed specifically for digital signage." Specs wise, you'll find a 1,920 x 1,080 (Full HD) resolution panel, a 2,000:1 contrast ratio, six-millisecond response time and a built-in "expansion slot" that can accept third-party gear such as a CAT5 receiver, single board computer, HD-SDI, or DVI loop-thru for a daisy chain setup. There's also inputs for HDMI, S-Video and composite, optional 15-watt speakers (available in 2008) and an optional digital tuner for the landscape model. Of course, we doubt you'll be buying one of these bad boys without writing it off as a business expense, as the $18,499.99 (LCD6520L-AV) and $19,999.99 (LCD6520P-AV) price tags will essentially shoo off the casual fans.